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User blog:Elgb333/The Four Musketeers vs The Four Hitokiris
"We are not makers of history. We are made by history," ''said by the great Martin Luther King Jr. himself. And he's right in saying that history is not dictated by mere faith and chance, it is dictated by us, the people who fills the books with our achievements and travesties. We are the ones who forge our own history so that future generations can see and admire. Yet, history can also be subjective, especially when tales of dashing rogues and warmongering villains are being talked about. And today in Deadliest Fiction, we are pitting two of the most famous, and yet also the least known about, group of heroes in this side of history. '''The Four Musketeers': The swashbuckling gentlemen fighters of 17th century France, made famous by Alexander Dumas! vs The Four Hitokiris: Radical assassins of the Boshin War, who murdered their way into Japanese folklore! WHO IS DEADLIEST? The Four Musketeers The Four Musketeers were a group of four elite Musketeers of the Guard who lived during 17th century and tasked to defend and protect the French Monarchy. These individuals would become the inspiration behind one of the greatest historical fiction adventure books of all time: The Three Musketeers and its sequels. Although little is known about them, all of them came from nobility and strong military lineage. They were also noted for their skills in swordsmanship and warfare. Three of them, Armand d'Athos (Athos) Isaac de Porthau (Porthos), and Henri d'Aramitz (Aramis) were related to Comte de Troisville, a notable French officer at that time. He was also the one who called for the three to become musketeers based on their reputation in combat. Later, troisville will be the one to introduce the most famous of all them all, Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan, to the elite regiment. Members The Leader= Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan Charles d'Artagnan served as the Captain of the Musketeer Guard during the time of Louis XIV, and is known as the greatest, if not, the most famous musketeer in history. D'Artagnan was born near Lupiac in south-western France. D'Artagnan found a way to enter into the Musketeers in 1632 through the support of his uncle, Henri de Montesquiou, Comte d'Artagnan, father of the field marshal Pierre de Montesquiou d'Artagnan, or perhaps thanks to the influence of Henri's friend, Monsieur de Tréville. D'Artagnan had a career in espionage for Cardinal Mazarin and Louis XIV, in the years after the first Fronde. He was known for his great skill in fencing, and fought in pivotal battles such as the Sieges at Arras, Aire-sur-la-Lys, la Bassée and Bapaume in 1640-41, and Collioure and Perpignan in 1642. In 1654, he fought at the Battle of Stenay, as well as in Sieges at Lancrecies and Saint-Ghislaine from which he earned the rank of captain of the Guards. He continued serving as a musketeer for the remainder of his life, even as it cost him his marriage and family. Even at the age of sixty, d'Artagnan still fought and led men to the battlefield, before being killed during the Siege of Maastricht. Weapon #1: Basket-Hilted Sword - as a high-ranking member of the French military, d'Artagnan probably used this kind of sword more than a civilian rapier. It is categorized as a straight "broadsword" with a common blade length of 3 feet. Double-edged and some variants have pommels for pummeling. Weapon #2: Flintlock Pistol - single-shot pistol with a flintlock mechanism which replaced older wheellock pistols. Common for officers such as d'Artagnan. Caliber varies but are commonly in .60s cal. |-|The Lancer= Armand d'Athos Armand d'Athos was the oldest of the bunch, and was quite the hotheaded duelist, a severe contrast to his more fatherly fictional counterpart. He was however, probably the most closest to d'Artagnan of the three. He became a musketeer in 1640, and being a noted and skilled swordsman, d'Athos frequented the the famous dueling place known as the Pré aux Clercs. He probably fought and killed several duels there, and in one occasion d'Artagnan had to save his life during an alteration in the area (which was probably the inspiration behind the musketeers battle with Cardinal's men in the novel). Unlike in Dumas' story, d'Athos died before d'Artagnan joined the musketeers, from wounds his sustained from his last duel. He nonetheless had a brotherly relationship with d'Artagnan and the two others when he was still alive. Weapon #1: Rapier - a heavy thurst-oriented sword, though it is double-edged, allowing for cuts and slashes. It has a 1 meter blade and a pommel for blunt attacks. Weapon #2: Main Gauche - a small parrying dagger 12-inches long. Some variants have deeply curved guards to catch an opponent's sword, as well as a small metallic cover to protect the user's hands and acts as a light shield. |-|The Pacifist= Henri d'Aramitz Henri, Seigneur d'Aramitz was a Gascon abbé, and black musketeer of the Maison du Roi in 17th century France. Aramitz was born of noble ancestry to Charles d'Aramitz and Catherine d'Espaloungue de Rague in Béarn, France. Henri d'Aramitz's uncle, the Comte de Troisville, called him to Paris along with his cousins Armand d'Athos and Isaac de Porthau based on their reputation for swordsmanship. On this occasion Aramitz had the chance to meet the Comte d'Artagnan. In May 1640 Aramitz joined the Musketeers of the Guard. He later quit the musketeers in 1648 and took a tamer life as an abbe in his hometown. Weapon #1: Rapier - a heavy thurst-oriented sword, though it is double-edged, allowing for cuts and slashes. It has a 1 meter blade and a pommel for blunt attacks. Weapon #2: Cast Iron Grenade - an iron ball packed with black powder and metal scraps, with a fuse sticking out of the top. |-|The Wallflower= Isaac de Porthau Isaac de Porthau was a Gascon black musketeer of the Maison du Roi in 17th century France. In addition, he was the first cousin once removed of the Comte de Troisville, captain of the Musketeers of the Guard, and first cousin of Armand d'Athos. Porthau served in the company of Alexandre des Essarts, cousin of the Comte de Troisville, before joining the Musketeers of the Guard in 1642. Both he and d'Artagnan entered the Musketeers almost at the same time, and were perhaps excellent friends in life. He was initially rejected by the musketeer but was finally accepted in 1643 after proving himself in action. Heserved in the Gardes Francaises Regiment and due to battle wounds sustained, was transferred to Navarrenx Citadel as a low-ranking garrison officer. Following his father's death in 1654, he resigned from the Guard and took over as Secretary of the Parliament of Béarn. Weapon #1: Flintlock Musket - the iconic weapon of the musketeer to which they got their name. The flintlock musket uses a variety of large calibers and has a range of 100 yards. Weapon #2: Plug Bayonet - a bayonet that musketeers install to turn their muskets into melee weapons. Usually had the appearances of a dagger, these bayonets were installed through the inside of the barrel, so a musketeer can't use the firearm as a range weapon at the same time. The bayonet can also be used as a makeshift dagger if it needs to. The Four Hitokiris The Four Hitokiris of the Bakumatsu (幕末四大人斬り Bakumatsu Shidai Hitokiri?) was a term given to four samurai during the Bakumatsu era in Japanese history. The four men were Kawakami Gensai, Kirino Toshiaki (also known as Nakamura Hanjirō), Tanaka Shinbei, and Okada Izō. They opposed the Tokugawa shogunate (and later, supported the Meiji Emperor). These four samurai were warrior elite and widely considered undefeatable by normal people. The word hitokiri literally means "manslayer" or "man cutter," as the kanji 人 means person, while 斬 can alternatively mean slay or cut. Although little is known about them today, the hitokiris went down in Japanese history and folklore as one of the most easily recognizable historical individuals in the Boshin War. Numerous medias were written about their exploits (though fictional). They were the principle characters of many of Japan's most popular films and manga series such as Hitokiri and Rurouni Kenshin. Members The Leader= Kirino Toshiaki Kirino Toshiaki was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, and an Imperial Japanese Army general of the early Meiji era. Also known as Nakamura Hanjirō (中村 半次郎?), Toshiaki was renowned as one of the Four Hitokiri of the Bakumatsu. His sword style was Ko-jigen-ryū, a branch of the high-speed Jigen-ryū. During the Boshin War, he was a senior commander of Satsuma forces and was a high-ranking officer of the new Imperial Army. It was Kirino who was the representative of the imperial army at the surrender of Wakamatsu Castle, where he received the petition for surrender from Matsudaira Katamori, the lord of Aizu. He was also present during the Kinmon incident. Kirino became a brigadier general in the early years of the Imperial Japanese Army. However, he joined the forces of Saigō Takamori during the Satsuma Rebellion, taking part in the march northward to Kumamoto. Kirino remained with Saigō until the end, and was killed at the end of the rebellion. Weapon #1: Katana - a curved, single edged sword originating and is the most iconic weapon in Japan (and if you don't know, then shame on you). It has a common length of slightly more than 2 feet (73 cm at most). Weapon #2: Percussion Pistol - a pistol that uses a caplock mechanism, which is the successor to the flintlock mechanism. It offers a faster reload and reliability (it can be used in the rain) than previous designs before it. Common models have a caliber of .58. |-|The Lancer= Tanaka Shinbei Tanaka Shinbei was a hitokiri who served under the command of Takechi Hanpeita, the leader of the Loyalists of Tosa. Of all the hitokiris, Shinbei ranked up the most kill count during the war. He assassinated politicians such as Shimada Sakon, Ukyo Omokuni and Homma Seiichiro. he was also suspected of murdering a young woman named Komichi. His most daring assassination was that of Ii Naosuke, the head of the Edo Council of Elders who was the head of administration for the Tokugawa shogunate in 1860. For that, Tanakaba was given the title of "ansatsu taicho" (captain of assassins). His demise came after his final assassination of senior official Anenokoji. Shinbei's sword was found at the scene of the assassination, and so he was taken for questioning in Kyoto and when asked to see the sword, he committed seppuku with it. Weapon #1: Katana - a curved, single edged sword and is the most iconic weapon in Japan (and if you don't know, then shame on you). It has a common length of slightly more than 2 feet (73 cm at most). Weapon #2: Wakizashi - a short Japanese sword with a curved, single-edged blade. The weapon was often carried as a pair with katana, the set of two swords being known as a daisho (literally "big-little"). The wakizashi was typically used as a secondary weapon, for close-range and indoor fighting, the blade was also used for finishing off and/or decapitating downed enemies. It has a common length of 12-20 inches. |-|The Pacifist= Kawakami Gensai Kawakami Gensai was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. A highly skilled swordsman, he was one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. Gensai's high-speed sword discipline allowed him to assassinate targets in broad daylight. In 1862, he joined Kumamoto forces who were posted to security duty in Kyoto. After the political event of Higo-han, he left there and went to Chōshū-han, where he became a personal body guard of Sanjō Sanetomi. Soon after, Gensai carried out his most famous and only confirmed assassination: that of Sakuma Shōzan. He killed Shōzan in one stroke, in broad daylight. While other assassinations have been attributed to him, only his murder of Shōzan can be proven. After this, he withdrew to Chōshū and took part in the military actions of Takasugi Shinsaku's Kiheitai against the shogunate's Chōshū Expeditions. During the second Chōshū campaign by the Tokugawa regime, he participated for Chōshū and eventually won the battle. However, during action in Kokura, he decisively surrendered to Kumamoto forces, and was imprisoned until just after the Meiji Restoration. Although his side won the war, Gensai was outraged by the new adminsitration's policy on foreign relations. Because of this, he was captured again and executed. He was the most famous of all the hitokiris. Although a well-skilled assassin, Gensai was also known for his feminine and pacifistic characteristics, which became inspiration behind the character Kenshin Himura. Weapon #1: Katana - a curved, single edged sword and is the most iconic weapon in Japan (and if you don't know, then shame on you). It has a common length of slightly more than 2 feet (73 cm at most). Weapon #2: Naginata - as a well-educated samurai who devoted himself to harnessing his martial skills, as well as being knwn for his more feminine side, Gensai would have also known how to use a traditional naginata. It consisted of a long pole about 1.2-2.4 meters in length and a sword blade similar to that of a katana or wakizashi, typically about 30-60 cm in length. The weapon is capable of being used as both a thrusting and a slashing weapon. |-|The Wallflower= Okada Izō Okada Izō was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, feared as one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. He was born in Tosa to the gōshi Okada Gihei, who had been a peasant but had bought the gōshi rank. Izō and Tanaka Shinbei were active in Kyoto as assassins under the leadership of Takechi Hanpeita. He was involved in the killing of Homma Seiichiro together with Tanaka Shinbei. In 1865 however, he was involved in yet another assassination, that of Yoshida Toyo, the regent of Tosa who he killed before his rise to power. Izo was captured, tortured and beheaded by government forces. Weapon #1: Tanegashima Musket - Although a rather obsolete matchlock weapon by the 19th century, the Tanegashima was still prized during the Boshin War due to large numbers of it that survived after the Senggoku period. Common variants fires a .50 caliber round in ranges of over 100 yards. Weapon #2: Wakizashi - A perfect sidearm just in case samurais need to discard their muskets rather than reloading it. The wakizashi is a secondary weapon, for close-range and indoor fighting, the blade was also used for finishing off and/or decapitating downed enemies. It has a common length of 12-20 inches. X-Factors Experience Both groups are known in history as some of the best warriors of their time, however their military career is little and almost unrecorded. We know that they became inspirations behind many fictional heroes we grow up with but we actually know little about their real lives (made worse since most of their exploits were exaggerated by myth and fiction, usually done by amateur historians who can't separate history from fanfiction). Besides d'Artagnan (who had a great career as bodyguard, soldier and spy), the entirety of the military career of the remaining three musketeers were largely undocumented. The Four Hitokiri faired a little better with military careers that were more fleshed out, suggesting that they probably fought in more battles and conflicts (both conventional and unconventional). But these were also little and still up for assumptions. Intelligence Its smart to say that the Hitokiris were known far and wide for their successful assassinations, which they probably planned out and executed with calcualting finesse. Many of them, like Toshiaki, Shinbei and Gensai, actuallyfought and led men directly into battle. Besides d'Artagnan, its tough to say whether the other musketeers were successful military tacticians since they lack any fleshed-out biographies (besides fiction and exaggerations). They were probably like in Dumas' novel; brash, bold and reckless. Swordsmanship These people didn't go down in history for having tame jobs like a farmer, clerk or a potter. They made their own mark in history for their sheer badassery especially in the handling of a blade. The Four Hitokiris were known as superb martial artists by many of their contemporaries, but most of their assassinations were done on unsuspecting victims, not in face to face confrontation. The musketeers surely held their own better, and many of them such as d'Artagnan and d'Athos had reputations as skilled duelists in times of war. Teamwork While these individuals were collected in a group more because of their reputation, it didn't mean that they didn't kicked ass together as one. The Musketeers surely fought united under one company, the Musketeers of the Guard. Many of them were related and were probably introduced to each other by the same person, Comte de Troisville. On the other hand, some of Hitokiris fought under the commands of different lords, but were nonetheless stationed in the same place, Kyoto. Two of them Shinbei and Izo fought under the command of the same lord Takechi Hanpeita and worked succesfully together in the assassination of Homma Seiichiro. Notes * Battle will take place in a crowded Japanese ship yard. The Four Musketeers were hired by the French Government to protect French merchants making business in that region, but unbeknowst to them the Four Hitokiris were sent by Ishin Ishi rebels to kill "any foreign barbarians landing in Japan's sacred shores." * Votes must be complete with weapon and x-factor edges. I decide whether a vote is acceptable or not. * Voting ends on March 10 or when I get enough votes. Battle “Isn’t this magnificent Charles. The Orient, exotic, dirty yet breathing with life,” Athos said while sitting on the side of the ship with a bottle of sherry in his hand. “Well… isn’t it too early to be drinking dear Athos?” Aramis said after taking the bottle off Athos’ hand. “It’ll be a few minutes before this ship lands so I suggest that the rest of you prepare to disembark.” Athos then grudgingly got back to his feet, but took Aramis’ advice and went to his quarters to prepare. The young Charles can only look at his master dragging his wine gut back to his room. He then goes back to admiring the scenery that was in front of him. The lush land that was filled with odd-yet-beautiful pink trees and mountains that looked as if they were covered by sugar white frost. “What did they call this place again Monsieur Porthau?” Was it Nippon or Japan? Because the books and what they say don’t add up to what I am seeing today.” Porthos, who was sitting down and drawing a sketch of the scenery, puts his pencil down and replies, “Always the academic are you, young Charles. Don’t get yourself into what those books say. I can tell you they are discriminatory on how they describe the Far East. It’ll be better though if we can dock in and ask the people. Then you can get the answers you are looking for.” “Didn’t I already said that both of you should prepare? We’ll be docking in pretty soon, and if you remember, we’re not here for vacation, we are here for business,” the serious Aramis said. He then looks at Charles and warns, “Hardly, those are what the books can tell you boy. But I hope it’s not as bad as what I’ve heard them sailors talking about. This place is ablazed in revolution, people are out butchering each other, and nothing but even a bit of civilization is left. So prepare yourself and pray we don’t get into any trouble” “Heh. Every damn uncivilized place is like that. Always erupting in bloody revolution. England, Netherlands, Austria, thank God France isn’t one of them,” Athos said after putting on his best colorful cloak. The ship that they were on finally docked into one of the shipyards in Japan. It was hardly what these gentlemen were expecting, for the shipyard was nothing more than an improvised fishing port. Nonetheless, they guided the merchants as they traded their goods, making sure to keep a close eye on them if things do get violent. While the four musketeers weren’t bothered by anybody yet, their white appearance and their gaudy colorful costumes did attract the eyes of the local Japanese, who in turn don’t know if they should laugh at this clowns or despise them as barbarians. It was an awkward experience for the four musketeers too, but they were tight-lipped about it and tried their best to keep professional. However, it would be a matter of time before news of “barbarian merchants” soon circulated around Edo. The sights and awful descriptions were passed around from peasants, to spies and then to the patriots that guard the sanctity of Japan. They were not happy having these foreigners in their lands, and soon they decided to drive them out as bloody and intimidating as possible. The Four Hitokiris were then called upon by their lords, and were quickly given the task. They should do everything they can to get rid of these people, and make sure that they all get the message that Japan isn’t like other Asian countries around: it is not “for sale or for colonization.” The hitokiris, masterful samurai assassins, arrived in the dock as the French were still busy doing business. They gathered around behind cover and whispered their plan: “Izo, you with the musket. You stay here and fire at them from afar. Make them think that they are surrounded so that we can keep them in one place,” Toshiaki, the experienced leader said. “Consider it done,” the stoic Izo replied. “Killing them with a musket makes us look as barbaric as them,” the effeminate Gensai interrupted as if he observed the musketeers. “Can’t we talk to them at least? Invite them to tea first so that they’ll have a full stomach before we send them to Hell.” The hot-headed Shinbei on the other hand, didn’t took Gensai’s suggestion lightly and warned,” What the hell kind of a suggestion is that you bishonen freak. We don’t have time for you nonsense Gensai.” “Oro? What’s the matter Shinbei? Whatever happened to your Japanese hospitality?” “Knock it off both of you,” Toshiaki ordered. “We don’t have any time left to bicker. Now listen, Gensai, if you want so much to get a closer look at those barbarians then I suggest you run them down and introduce them to your sword. I’ll cover you with my pistol. Shinbei, I want you to keep that impatient hot-blooded head off yours in check, because I want you to sneak around the other side and wait for the right opportunity to strike. No quarters, and no mercy. We’re not just here to kill them, we’re here to deliver a message.” Shinbei puts up a satisfying grin at the plan they’ve concocted. “So we’ll be surrounding them. Three of us we’ll be attacking from either side while Izo here will be shooting at their brunt. The only way for them to escape then is to either die or swim back to whatever oni island they came from. Brilliant, Toshiaki. Brilliant as always.” The four musketeers have been standing in the port for an hour and still the merchants weren’t yet done. The sun was already bearing on them, made worse by their thick cloaks and dresses. A huge crowd has started to build in the port that they were on, many of them were just peasants who wanted to look at them in awe as if they were wild exotic animals. The now annoyed Athos, who wasn’t really the calmest of the four, couldn’t take it anymore and asked the merchant in a very enraged voice, “What’s taking you people so long?” But before the merchant can reply, a musket ball suddenly tore through his lower jaw, instantly killing him, before embedding itself on Athos’ shoulder. “Gyaaaaah!” Athos yells in pain as he drags himself back to the other musketeers. Charles manage to grab him into cover as the rest of the musketeers unsheathe their swords. “En guard men! En guard! Enemies are upon us!” Aramis said. Izo, the hitokiri who fired that shot, calmly reloads his musket and fires another. The bullet missed, instead hitting Porthos hat off of his head. “Porthos, the gunner, he’s hiding behind those crates in front of us!” Charles yelled. “I see him garson,” Porthos said before unhooking his own flintlock musket. Soon the whole marketplace has gone into a frenzy. As the French merchants run and scatter for safety, the local Japanese became rabid. Ignited by fever patriotism, they grabbed whatever tools and weapons they can find and started hunting and killing the foreigners. Blood started to get spilled and turned the beach water red. Things were not looking good for the musketeers. “Any more advice you can impart on us d’Artagnan?” an almost panicking Aramis said. As Charles look around at the bloodspill that was happening, he then looks sternly to Aramis and said, while clutching a wounded Athos in his arms, “We need to get of here vite. This is no place for us right now, we need to retreat.” As the musketeers started evacuating, Porthos finally fires his pistol at the assassin. His flintlock musket, while the most advanced technology of its time, lacked a front sight, so his shot missed Izo by only a few centimeters. Izo, calm as always, fires his tanegishima musket, and since it has a front sight, managed to graze the cloak of Porthos. “Hmmph,” Porthos snarked. Close but no cigars. As the two reloaded their weapons, Porthos managed to reload his gun faster, and now he adjusted his aim and finally hits Izo in the throat, effectively putting him down bleeding and squirming to death. “Nice shot brother!” Aramis said. But Porthos can only reply to him with a surprised face as he sees a samurai quickly lunging at Aramis. “Look out!” Porthos said as Gensai appeared from the crowd in blinding speed with his katana. Fortunately, Aramis’ fast reflex saved him as he manage to catch that attack with his rapier. As the two swordsman grinded their steels, Gensai gave out a smirk, “Amazing. I’ve never seen anyone block that attack. But let’s see if you’re still fast enough to dodge this.” And then from out of nowhere, Toshiaki came forward and shot Aramis right in the face with his percussion pistol. “Nooooo!” Porthos and the rest of the musketeers yelled as they saw Aramis’ lifeless body fall to the ground. As Porthos aimed his rifle at Toshiaki, Shinbei suddenly appears from the back and slashes Porthos head clean off. The sight of two of their comrades being killed by the assassins enraged the remaining musketeers. They quickly run towards the samurais in order to avenge their comrades. Charles grabs his flintlock pistol and shoots Toshiaki in the chest, killing him and avenging Aramis’ death. The two remaining samurais try to back away slowly as the musketeers came barreling towards them like hungry bears. Athos, though wounded, used his large size to tackle Gensai, sending him crashing through some crates. As Athos tries to finish him off with his rapier, Shinbei came to Gensai’s rescue by plunging his wakizashi through Athos’ side. This only further infuriates Athos and he makes a thrust at Shinbei’s shoulder, burying the blade inches through. Athos follows it up with another stab at Shinbei’s face with his main gauche, but Shinbei blocks it with his katana and the two square off in a classic sword fight. Athos tries to draw his other flintlock pistol, but Gensai manages to unsheathe his nagianta first and slashes at Athos’ back, but his attack was parried by Charles d’Artagnan and his broadsword. “Such a waste to kill such a handsome face. What’s your name boy?” Gensai asked. “Charles de Batz-Castlemore d’Artagnan. A name that your family will be talking about after I kill you,” Charles retorted. “Oooooh,” Gensai said with a seductive look. He then jabs his naginata at Charles, but the young boy again parries it with his sword before making a huge slash at Gensai’s chest, drawing blood. Though not deep enough to cause a kill, Gensai again just smiles at the kawaii Charles for doing so, “Nice. Good work I liked that one.” Charles then makes a wild thrust that Gensai easily dodges. As Charles finally created a distance between him and the samurai, he manages to finally draw and aim his pistol. However, he failed to get a clear shot as Gensai quickly blitzes off like a blur towards him. Knowing that he’ll get skewered by Gensai’s polearm if he doesn’t act quickly, Charles aims his weapon instead towards Aramis’ dead body. “Sorry monsieur…” Charles said as he shoots one of Aramis’ grenados. As the grenade blew up, the rest of the grenados on Aramis also simultaneously exploded, throwing Gensai, Charles, Athos and Shinbei off their feet, and destroying much of the fort they were standing on. Now the remaining warriors are forced to finish this fight on the beach. Gensai, though shaken with his kimono on fire, quickly gets back on his feet and removes his top. Charles was getting back to his feet himself, and seeing an opportunity, he quickly lunges towards Gensai. Charles attempted another stab, but Gensai anticipates and, using the naginata’s reach advantage, slashes at Charles’ hand, cutting off three fingers and making him drop his sword. Charles can only yell in pain on the ground as he clutches his now fingerless hand. “You were good, boy, but you are no match for me,” Gensai said as he readies to plunge his naginata at Charles. However, Charles quickly grabs his sword using his other hand and quickly plunges it on Gensai’s chest before the samurai can plunge his. Gensai spits a mouthful of blood before going down lifeless on the floor like a rag. With his opponent dead, Charles lays down on the sand and rests as he waits Athos to finish his battle. Athos and Shinbei are still at it, clashing their steel at each other, both showing no hesistation and skill in this duel. As their swords clash and clangs with every contact, Athos looks at Shinbei’s eyes and says, “Damn you heathen! Can’t you see your comrades are dead? Give it up already!” “For people like us gaijin, death is nothing but a next great journey,” Shinbei said before going low and slashing Athos’ big plump belly. Blood came pouring in as Athos clutches his gut in pain, before Shinbei finishes him by slashing a half of his head. “Nooooooo!” Charles said after seeing the last of his friend die. He runs towards Shinbei with his sword but the samurai just shoulder throws him away from the shore and back into the watery beach. With his opponent dazed from the attack underwater, Shinbei then plunges his katana on Charles’ shoulder, pinning him on the sea floor. The musketeer tries in vain to get out before he can drown, but the samurai was relentless and he puts all his weigh on his sword to make sure his opponent stays underwater. However, he failed to notice Charles getting his sword back. The musketeer then quickly makes a slash that connects on Shinbei’s lower jaw and slices it off. With his jaw gone, Shinbei’s body then fell on the beach with a surprised look at his face. Charles d’Artagnan quickly gets back on his feet and raises his sword in victory. Expert’s Opinion While the hitokiris did have weapons that were slightly better than the musketeers (like percussion pistols and katanas which were superior to a civilian rapier), experts still believed that the musketeers’ skill in swordsmanship would defeat the hitokiris, who were more accustomed to killing unsuspecting victims than fighting up close and personal. Category:Blog posts